Typical Recipe
GRISSINI

EXPORT OF
ITALIAN WINES
AND FOODS
 

SeeItaly.org
Small group
tours in Italy.
 

   Preparation

 
Dilute 0,5 oz. of yeast in a cup of lukewarm water, combine with 3 oz. flour and let it rest in a warm place for one hour and a half, or until the volume doubles. Add to the fermented dough, 1 lb.-3 oz. of flour, the remainder of yeast, salt, and enough lukewarm water to form a dough which is soft and elastic. Work the dough until it comes away easily from your hands. Form the dough into a large ball, make a cross-like incision on top and cover with a towel. Let it rest in a warm place for 5 hours or until the dough doubles in size. Add the remainder of the flour and the water and work into the fermented dough until you achieve a smooth and elastic dough.

Next, cut small pieces of dough and roll on a wooden board to form long, thin sticks and place into a baking pan. Let the dough sticks rest in a warm place until they double in size. Bake at 550ºF for 10 min.

Note:
With the same dough, you can make the classic michetta or rosetta.

Recipe courtesy of The Italian Trade Commission.

   Description

Grissini or breadsticks first appeared in Turin and the surrounding area in Piedmont but they are now at home in countries everywhere. No one knows exactly when they appeared but it is certain that production began at least as long ago as the 17th century. When he was driving the Austrians out of Northern Italy, Napoleon reportedly encountered these thin rods of bread, which he dubbed "les petits bâtons de Turin," and enjoyed consuming them. The versions made today in virtually every part of Italy and shipped to numerous foreign markets are pencil-thin. But the bakers of Turin and vicinity still turn out the original model, shaping it by hand, so that it is somewhat twisted and irregular. It is thicker and longer than the modern variant and it is, recognizably, a real bread. The Piedmontese partly wrap their breadsticks in a napkin and plunk them down in the middle of the table where everyone can help himself or herself. While the modern version lacks the flavor and texture of the original, it does offer a certain degree of flexibility. For example, many hosts smear one end of each breadstick with butter and wrap a paper-thin slice of prosciutto around it. It thereby becomes a cocktail snack that is handy and also neat, since the hands do not come into contact with the ham.